Exclusive! Tovino Thomas: Excited about Naradan, I want to know how my movies after Minnal Murali will be received

After the grand premiere of Minnal Murali, Tovino Thomas is back in Mumbai for the promotion of his very next film, Naradan, which is hitting the big screens on March 3, 2022. In the Aashiq Abu directorial, the actor plays Chandraprakash, a television news anchor. Fans can't wait to witness the role switch from a superhero to a journalist for Tovino, who has been exuding confidence to the fullest.

Ahead of the release, OTTplay caught up with the Malayalam heartthrob for an exclusive chat. Tovino spoke at length about the uncommon traits he adapted for his role in Naradan. The actor even revealed the reason behind visiting Mumbai for the premiere of the film, for which he gained confidence after the tremendous response Minnal Murali received.

Excerpts:

We heard that Chandraprakash, the news anchor in the film, is left-handed, an uncommon trait. What were the other aspects that Aashiq, Unni R, and you brought to the character?

We used to have long conversations about Chandraprakash and his complex nature. He might seem to be one person, but on the inside, he is a different person. Chandraprakash has many layers. He has grey shades, not white or black. He is a left-handed person and has a lot of mannerisms, like his palms sweating all the time and how he keeps wiping them with the towel. At the beginning of the movie, he has longer nails, so I started growing my nails a couple of weeks before Naradan was shot. They kept on giving me a lot of details, which helped me get into the skin of the character.

How much do you think the fan following of Minnal Murali would help your upcoming films, including Naradan?

Naradan was shot between two different schedules of Minnal Murali. I am looking forward to the release of Naradan so that I can understand how my future movies will be received after Minnal Murali. I know what it was like before Minnal Murali. Now I want to know if it has changed, since Minnal Murali. So Naradan is the movie that will decide that, and with Minnal Murali's confidence, I have come for my next premiere in Mumbai. It's not in any other language. This movie should be enjoyed in its original version. It's very much verbal, and if someone else dubs it, I don't know what it will look like. It might look very different. It can be good, but still, look very different. I want people to watch it in its original way. The target audience for Minnal Murali was very different from the target audience for Naradan. But still, I think people who had never heard of Tovino Thomas before Minnal Murali might at least try to watch Naradan. That's what I expect.

After Minnal Murali, a lot of people who had never even heard of Tovino Thomas before, watched the film, and many messaged me. Many posted it on social media. So I saw a lot of that for the first time, like getting so much appreciation for a movie for the first time. It has become a trend in 30 countries on Netflix. So you can reach all those people and that's why, we wanted to do promotions here in Mumbai. We wanted to reach out to all those people who had already watched Minnal Murali, just so when they see the trailer or the poster of Naradan, they say, "Ok, this is the guy from Minnal Murali, so I should try watching his next movie as well." So I'm expecting that. Let's see what happens.

I think Naradan is perfect for me, as an actor and performer, after Minnal Murali. It's entirely different from my previous three films, Kala, Kaanekaane, and Minnal Murali, which came out during the lockdown. In this film, I think I also had the opportunity to perform differently. As an actor, this is how I should showcase my range, by playing different characters. Also, this movie could be very thought-provoking as all of us watch TV channels every day, so people will be able to relate to it. Even though everyone who watches new channels can relate to this movie, people will be curious to know what happens behind the camera. What happens when they are not in front of the camera? They'll also have a personal life. I've always wondered how they got out. Do they go on vacation? They might be anchoring a programme from 8:30 pm to 9:30 pm every day, including Saturdays and Sundays. So what if they want to go and visit their uncle in Dubai? They cannot.

Aashiq Abu is someone who redefines a genre, and all the three films you did with him - Maayanadhi, Virus and Naradan are poles apart. So when it comes to working with him, how's the whole process?

That's the best thing about him. I'm someone who wants to do different kinds of movies, with different kinds of lead characters and different genres. I want to try all of those. And when I'm working with him, he's already doing that. So for me, working with Aashiq Ettan is like doing what I want to do. Maybe that's why, we are doing movies again and again. My next movie is also with him, Neelavelicham. At some point, we can connect, and we can understand what the other person is thinking. We are working towards very similar goals.

The process is that he keeps us very comfortable. I'm a director's actor, and he's very much an actor's director. He never keeps any tense environments. He makes the space where we can work peacefully.

Naradan focuses on the pressures that journalists have to face in the news media. What were the specific instances that stood out to you while working on the film?

This is a fictional story, a fictional news channel, and it's a fictional character. So we didn't want to blindly imitate someone. Instead, what we did was refer to a lot of videos of news readers or anchors from all over the world, like even in English, Malayalam, Tamil, and Hindi. We have referred to everyone, and we have created one unique style for this character based on that. We wanted this character to be unique, yet someone who reminds people of many other news anchors, so that people don't feel that it's someone else. It's someone we have seen, but will not be able to tell who precisely that is. It's not a biopic, we didn't have to imitate anyone.

What difference did you find in the feedback from Kerala and outside Kerala for your films?

At times, I've felt a difference but I don't understand why. Malayalis are even more sceptical than usual because they have watched a lot of movies. When we look at an average Malayali audience, they watch movies in every language, from Malayalam, Tamil, Hindi, to Telugu, and Spanish. So for us to impress them, we have to do something outstanding. At times, I felt that Malayalis were prejudiced. As they have watched a lot of movies, they tend to predict the movie and the story. I want to break that predictability, and that's what I'm trying to do.

Does the shooting of a character affect your choices for the next movie you sign?

It never affects me. Instead, I believe it's because I believe I'm growing as an actor and a good human being after every movie. Like Tovino Thomas, there are limitations to my thought process. As a character, I can understand many things that Tovino Thomas wouldn't have understood. Because when I'm playing a character, I'm being in his shoes and thinking from his perspective. And, I realise many things that I have never even thought of for myself. So that's, I think, helping me grow as an actor and a good human being. So instead of affecting it, I believe it helps. I'm exploring different areas of my potential and want to do that to the fullest. That's why I'm doing different kinds of characters. I think I'm evolving.

You had said that you had to give up Laal Singh Chaddha and Valimai to Minnal Murali. But with the movie now catapulting you to greater heights, would you be game to take up supporting roles in Bollywood projects or OTT web series?

It's there, but the character should demand someone like me. I should be convinced, and I should believe in that movie and that character. I also feel that I'm necessary for that character. We have lots of very good actors all over India from all the industries. When I go from the Malayalam industry to the other industry, I should feel that I am the most suitable one for that character and that's why, they are calling me. If that's the situation, I'll go and do it.

Did you feel bad that you couldn't take up Laal Singh Chaddha?

I felt bad, but Minnal Murali was almost 70% completed. And I didn't want to wear a wig for my next appointment. Also, I didn't know when we would resume Minnal Murali again. So I didn't want to take a chance. For Laal Singh Chaddha, they wanted me to crop my hair as it was an army character. I rejected it in a very good way. I told them, "I really wanted to do this movie, but my situation is this." They understood it.

You have completed a decade as an actor in the industry and have taken very few breaks between your films. What does the support of your family mean to you at this stage in your career?

They are very understanding when I don't get enough time to spend with them and when I don't get enough breaks. They come to my shooting spot. They stay with me; my wife and kids stay with me most of the time. Whenever I go for a shoot, they explore the tourist attractions and go trekking; that's how they do it. Last Christmas, my parents wanted to spend some time with me, but I was not able to go home. So they all came to Trivandrum, where I was shooting for Vaashi. Whenever I get two or three days off, I immediately go home, spend two days there, and come back.

From a news anchor to now a lawyer in Vaashi, what can you say about the film?

Vaashi is also like Naradan, very verbal. It discusses very relevant content. It's a family drama and also a courtroom drama, so it can be called both intertwined. So I think it will be an interesting watch.